Of Old Arguments
by Lost In The Lies
Summary: They were at it again. James and Alice had been best friends since school had started, but latley you couldn't walk into the common room without finding the two arguing." - One-shot


"I can't believe you're still with him!"

"I can't believe you care!"

"Of course I care!"

"Why should you?"

"I'm your best friend!"

"Well you sure don't act like it!"

Lily Potter entered the Gryffindor common room to an explosion of yelling that bounced off the walls. An unheard sigh escaped her lips as she edged her way around the red and gold common room where many stood watch of the happenings in the middle, while others tried to escape the common occurrence by taking refuge in the dorms.

Near the stairs the young Potter met up with the one brother that wasn't being a pain at the point in time, along with her cousin that seemed to actually get along well with said brother. Both had their wands out and at the ready encase the scene unfolding before them got out of hand.

Yet another sigh escaped Lily's lips as her wand was also extracted from the confines of her robes. "They're at it again," She stated more than asked, and neither Albus nor Rose bothered to answer knowing she didn't expect it. Lily just simply stood there with the other two as she watched her brother James, and his best friend, Alice Ashworth, yelling at one another in the middle of the room.

* * *

"_Can one of you get the door?" Emily yelled at her two children from her backyard. Alice and Jason ran for the door from opposite ends of the house at full speed, both obviously was racing to reach the door first._

_The eleven year old twins met up at the door and neither having stopped in time, collided at full speed. Giggles escaped both mouths as their identical brown eyes met, daring the other to make a move. They switched from the door and back to the other. _

_Finally Alice made a move for the door. But Jason wouldn't let her get away that easily and grabbed hold of her black hair. Alice screeched out that it was unfair and they fought for awhile until finally Alice had Jason pinned to the floor. Blowing a stray hair out of his face he finally gave in and Alice got up triumphantly and opened the door._

_Both their mouths dropped at the sight before them._

_Before them stood a tall woman in long black, __**robes?**__ Both of the twins were shell shocked. _

_The woman raised a slight eyebrow at the sight before her, though why wouldn't she? Though she probably got such a reaction often, the sight before her was still one to see. Both children looking as though they had been in quite the scuffle (which she had actually heard behind the door) and the boy still lay upon the floor right behind what looked to be his twin. Yes, quite the sight._

"_Hello, I'm Professor Weasley," It seemed the sight did not disturb her much – was she used to such sights? "If I may, I would like to speak to your whole family." _

_As soon as the words got through to Alice, She shook herself out of her shocked state and yelled behind her, "Mom, a woman wishes to speak to the whole family."_

"_And she looks really weird!" Jason made sure to put in his two cents, having finally gotten up off the floor. _

"_Jason!" Mrs. Ashworth yelled to her son as she walked to the front door to be greeted by her children's laughter (both once more upon the floor). Her eyes soon spotted the visitor, and she stopped mid-step. _

"_Hello, Mrs. Ashworth, I'm Professor Weasley. If it is no trouble, I'd like to speak to your entire family." The strange woman once more repeated._

"_Oh, oh no, no problem at all. Let's just go to the living room. Children, get your father." Emily said whilst taking her gardening gloves off._

_The children ran off in fits of giggles to find their father that was met with an eye roll by their mother. "Children," She said simply in a what-can-you-do way. Professor Weasley as she stated her name was nodded her head in a knowing way._

_Soon the Ashworth family and Professor Weasley sat in the warm living room lit by the outside sun._

"_As stated, I'm Professor Angelina Weasley, and I am a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry." Angelina let that sink in._

_Excuse me, I think I miss heard you Professor. Did you say 'of Witch Craft and Wizardry'?" Alice asked as politely as she could in said situation._

"_No, you heard me correctly, Ms. Ashworth. You are a witch."_

_Everything went quiet as that slowly sunk in to the occupants of the room._

"_I'm a witch?"_

_Professor Weasley simply nodded and a few more seconds of silence passed before another word was uttered._

"_I'm a witch!" Alice exclaimed as though she could no longer with hold such exciting news. She started wriggling around in her seat as though she wanted to jump up and do something drastic. _

"_Can you believe this Jason? We're going to a school of witch craft and wizardry!" Alice exclaimed her excited eyes connected with his bright ones and his sisters words seemed to bring a smile to his face, even if only a small one._

_Professor Weasley looked uncomfortable and decided to speak up. "I believe you miss understood me, Ms .Ashworth, nobody else in this family household has any magical abilities."_

_Those simple words froze everybody in their seats and unknowingly at that point, broke the family apart. _

"_But...the two are the exact same! They like everything the same, do everything the same (and together), they're almost identical, when they were first born we had to sometimes," Here Mr. Ashworth cleared his voice, "Check to make sure we had them right, all the way up to the age of six, because they liked to trick us, and Alice kept her hair short!"_

_Angelina remembered two people that these twins sounded a lot alike – except they had been both boys, and both magical, and all their life easy to mix up. She was sad to split them up. "I'm sorry," And she seriously, sincerely was, "But it is only Ms. Ashworth."_

"_Prove it," Alice said as she stared at the woman hard._

"_Prove what?" She asked calmly her eyes meeting the pained brown ones of Alice's. She tried not to flinch._

"_That you're not just pulling all our legs here. And if you are, this is sick and cruel." It was easy to see her eyes quickly flicker back to Jason before landing on Angelina again._

_Professor Weasley couldn't help but smiled slightly as she leaned forward in her chair remembering herself asking the very same question so many years ago, hence the reason she volunteered to talk to the muggle borns. She had no eyes but for Alice._

"_Have you ever done anything weird when you were upset or angry, something that you couldn't explain?"_

_Alice was quiet as she starred at the Professor, memories flooding her mind. She remembered the time her brothers sleeve caught fire when she had been furious with him (an uncommon occur ounce, the anger that is, not that the fire thing happened all the time either). Or the time when her mother's favourite vase had exploded when she refused to let Jason and her go to the park alone. The one that came out the clearest (as it was the most recent) was when the doctor wouldn't let her see her brother after he'd broken his leg and two ribs, and the door to his room just fell off._

_Professor Weasley sat back in her chair with a smile, her point proven. _

_A slamming door brought Alice back and she realized her brother was no longer with them. Running to the backyard Alice spot Jason up in their favourite tree, in their tree. _

"_Jason!" Alice said, running towards it and going to climb up._

"_Don't." That was all Jason needed to say for Alice to know she had lost her twin brother, maybe forever. _

_As Alice re-entered the house she noticed the Professor had left (a fact she was glad for) and found her parents in the kitchen conversing with large smiles upon their faces._

"_Alice, Professor Weasley says you'll just love Hogwarts," Emily said. Alice's head snapped up with a creek._

"_You said I would go?!" She yelled angrily._

"_Of course Alice, you were ecstatic when you heard you were a witch." Mr. Ashworth stated with slight confusion in his features though his wife seemed to understand. _

"_If Jason can't come, than I'm not going." Alice said with firmness, standing her ground, though a slight waver was heard in her voice._

"_Oh, you are going young lady; this is a chance of a lifetime!" The Ashworth's said._

_Alice looked behind her just in time to see Jason's foot disappear around the corner of the stairs. Alice pounded up the stairs, tears running down her face. _

_Alice and her Parents went to Diagon Alley so Alice could get all the stuff she would need, and a few others that just amazed her, but Jason stayed at home._

* * *

"He's a Goyle!" James said in utter disbelief.

"So what?" Alice replied absolutely lived.

"SO! He's in league with the Malfoy's!" James yelled back even though defeat was close by, but he wasn't one to give up easily.

"No he's not! Remember? Jack's family disowned him, because he's a Hufflepuff, and going out with a _mudblood_!" Alice said the last word with clear disgust in her voice. It was all true, even if Jack was a Goyle, he didn't act like one would suspect.

"He's just playing you Alice! You, of all people, should be smart enough to know!" This statement didn't go down well with Alice.

"Playing me? And why would he do that?" Alice said dangerously, her eyes flashing. James smartly took a step back, buck stupidly wouldn't give up.

"They hate it when muggle borns show them up." James said loudly, trying to get out of the dangerous zone but still not back down at the same time.

It was true; Alice showed them up a lot. She did it whenever she was angry, which was a lot.

* * *

"_Jason, please look at me, please!" Alice pleaded with her twin brother._

_Jason turned his head until he was looking at Alice – even if it was more like glaring. _

"_Jason, please don't glare at me, I don't care if you're a muggle or not!" Immediately Alice covered her mouth, looking at Jason in fright._

_It was September 1, and the Ashworth family stood on Platform 9 ¾. Around them owls hooted, cats meowed, and parents made sure their children had everything. _

_What does __**muggle**__ mean?" Jason asked as though she had thoroughly insulted him. Then again, he didn't know. _

"_It means non-magical person. I'm a muggle born because I come from a muggle family but am magical." Alice said quickly. She had thoroughly gone through all her books so as not to be too out of it. _

_Jason gave her an ugly look. "At least I'm not a __**freak**__." _

_Alice looked as though she had been slapped by Jason. Tears started to stain her cheeks something that made her brother look away. Maybe he did still care – if only a bit. "You-you think I'm a freak?" She whispered._

_Jason nodded his head and Alice had to sit down on her trunk so as not to fall._

_Jason turned around and stalked off to their parents a few meters away who were in awe looking around them._

_A few steps away Harry Potter stood watching the little scenario, which, in turn, caused the rest of his family to watch. The scene had caused Harry to remember the memory of Snape's of his mother and aunt. He looked at James, his eldest son, who was about to enter his first year, and spotted him also watching. _

"_Go talk to her," Harry said nudging James towards her._

_James was about to complain but the look on his father's face told him otherwise. He nodded his head with a sigh he went over to the girl as his father had said._

"_Hey, I'm James Potter, and I'm entering my first year too," James said as he reached her._

_Alice raised her eyebrows slightly at the name Potter (having crossed it in her books numerous times) and her eyes slide back to the family he had just left, but she didn't comment she just once more looked back at James._

_Whipping the tears from her face furiously, knowing there was no use in trying to hide them, she said, "Hi, I'm Alice Ashworth."_

"_Hey, you want help with your trunk? The train's going to leave soon." Alice nodded and gave a half smile. _

_Soon the two were on the train in a compartment by themselves. They waved to each their own parents as the train left the station, though Alice only saw Jason's back as he left. This caused fresh tears which Alice quickly whipped away._

_The two sat in silence for quite a while until the food trolley arrived. While James bought many things, Alice just looked at it all with interest. Finally she bought two of everything. James raised his eyebrows while Alice shrugged._

"_I want to know everything," She stated simply. James laughed while Alice began to examine a chocolate frog._

"_They aren't real frogs, are they?" Alice questioned, really not being surprised by anything at that point in time. James shook his head._

"_It's just a jumping spell," He stated simply, and Alice easily understood it._

_Alice smiled as she opened it and quickly grabbed the frog before it could jump away. She stuffed said frog in her mouth, tasting nothing but chocolate. She was surprised to find something underneath, and picked up the card examining it._

_Swallowing the frog Alice asked, "What's this?"_

"_Oh, it's a card of a famous witch or wizard. That's what you really want. Who do you have?" James asked, curiously._

"_Albus Dumbledore," Alice said, reading it._

"_Oh, I have, like, ten of him." James said, shrugging as he opened his own._

"_Has anybody every collected them all?" Alice asked. James shook his head._

"_It would have been in the History book or something. So, unless they never told anybody..." James trailed off._

"_I'm going too," Alice swore. _

_James snorted._

"_Nope, I will, you'll see."_

* * *

"You are so ignorant James Potter!" Alice yelled throwing her hands in the air.

"Me? Ignorant? You've got to be joking." James said glaring at Alice. "You're the ignorant one."

Alice glared at James. "At least _I_ don't judge people by who they are related to!" Alice threw back.

"Oh, you mean like Goyle?" James snapped back.

"Jack? He's going out with me, a _muggle born_! Alice yelled back, getting back to the long talked of subject.

"Ha, well, you don't even like him that much!" James said grabbing around frantically in the air for anything.

Alice looked a bit guilty for a second before getting back to her fierce self. "Of course I do!"

James was shocked and it showed clear on his face. He'd been right, he could tell. Alice was his best friend, he knew her. He thought for a second, his emotions fighting with each other. Unfortunately, his anger won.

"Who is he?" James asked, a wicked grin appearing on his face.

"Who's who?" Alice asked angrily, but clearly confused, murmurs of confusion could be heard throughout the common room thinking James had finally lost it.

"The other guy you like." A shocked silence filled the room as all eyes landed on Alice.

"I don't like another guy!" Alice yelled at James, clearly annoyed, and anybody would believe her – they did, but James could see the lie within her eyes, and she knew he knew.

"Sure you don't."

"You are unbelievable James Potter!" Just a charade....

_

* * *

_

"_James!" Alice whined following James around platform 9 ¾. _

"_What?" James asked amused._

"_Please!" She begged._

_James came up to his family, Alice hanging off his robes._

"_Hello Alice." Ginny said as Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled at her. _

"_Hello Mr and Mrs. Potter, Mr and Mrs. Weasley." Alice said before turning her attention back to James. "Come on James!"_

_The four adults liked at each other wondering what was happening as they watched the two teenaged fifth years._

"_What-" Hermione began to ask._

"_She has all the chocolate frog card but one. I just so happen to have a double of that one. "James said pulling out a chocolate card frog of Agrippa. _

"_James!" Alice whined. She pulled out a suitcase from behind her back, the one that it was well known for her to keep her chocolate frog cards in. _

"_I've got four I know you haven't got. Plus, one of them is Ptolemy. You know how hard it is to get him." Alice said before whispering the password to her suitcase that opened it and pulling out the four doubles._

_James laughed at Alice's begging face. "Ah, come on Alice. You should have known I would give it to you. I want to be best friends with the first person who got them all." James said._

_A huge smile appeared on Alice's face as she threw her arms around James hugging him tightly. James laughed as he gaveher the card and she gave him the four. Alice carefully put it in her suitcase and put a checkmark beside the name before snapping it shut._

"_I've got them all!" Alice said loudly making everybody turn her way. "I've got all the chocolate frog cards!" _

_As a crowd surrounded her Alice looked over at her family. James was the only one who knew what she was looking for. Jason. But her twin brother hadn't been seen in the wizarding world since Alice's first year. James was the only one who ever recalled she had a sibling._

"_Jack!" Alice said pushing through the crowd and throwing her arms around her boyfriend, kissing him on the lips. "I've got them all, all the cards!"_

"_So I've heard." Jack said with a chuckle wrapping his arms around her._

_James stood off to the side, glaring at Jack with utter dislike clear in his eyes._

"_Who's he?" Harry asked Albus quietly, Lily, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo listening. Albus gavea quiet laugh and Rose gave a look that only Albus seemed to understand._

"_That's Jack, Alice's boyfriend," Albus replied to his father in the same quiet voice._

"_Somebody's jealous," Ron said with a smirk. Albus shook his head and Rose gave an 'I wish that was it' look._

"_That's what everybody thought at first. That was, until they heard Jack's last name." Albus said with a smirk. Rose – well, Rose just had a lot of facial expressions._

"_What?" Hermione asked clearly thinking he was taking too long. _

"_Goyle," Rose whispered beating Albus to the punch._

"_What!" Ron said loudly, which made Hermione hit him and made the two youngest of the group who were starting Hogwarts that year, giggle._

"_He's a Hufflepuff and his family has disowned him since he started going out with Alice, since she's a muggle born and all. But apparently that isn't good enough for James." Rose said her voice clearly stating that she thought James was being stupid. _

"_I need to have a talk with him." Harry said his eyes hard as he looked at his eldest son. _

"_Don't worry dad, he'll stop." Albus said, waving his hand slightly. Harry raised his eyebrows. _

"_If he wants to stay friends with Alice – which everybody knows he does – then he'll accept it. Some people think the only reason Alice is still going out with Jack is to spite James." Albus said with a laugh._

"_I wouldn't doubt it," Ginny said, a smile tugging at her lips._

"_It's not very nice to Jack," Hermione said with a frown._

"_Oh, if it's true, which I'm not too sure it is, then Jack would know. Alice isn't mean." Rose said defiantly._

_The trains whistle gave a loud blow telling everybody it was about to leave and they all hurried on so as not to be left behind._

* * *

Then James yelled the last thing anybody expected, the one thing through all their arguments over the stupid subject had never been said by either. "I hate you Alice Anabeth Ashworth!"

Silence. That's what filled the Gryffindor common room, people frozen in the process of running up the stairs, the three relatives prepared to intervene if things got out of control, wands at the ready, but never ready for that, their wands clattering to the floor. The silence was deafening, so loud people were afraid to disturb with a single movement.

For the silence was broken by Alice, whose mouth had dropped open when James yelled those deadly words. She closed her mouth silently before taking a deep breath in. Then the tears started, try as she might to hold them back.

Her soft brown eyes, tortured from his statement, filled with water, but hadn't pored over.

Finally it came to James just what he said and he jerked back in shock. He starred in horror and shock at Alice, not able to believe such words had actually left his mouth. He knew he had to apologise, but he didn't know how it was possible to apologise after suck a statement. All he could do was shake his head, trying to get it through he didn't mean it, any of it.

Alice understood clearly what he was trying to say but he'd already said the words, and saying things unconsciously usually meant more. "First Jason, now you," Alice said flinching when she said her brother's name. That was when the tears started overflowing. She turned around so as to hide them.

James looked like she'd stabbed him when she compared him to Jason. The others in the common room look confused as to who this boy was.

"Alice, don't compare me to him. I'm not anything like him. I'm not going to," James searched for the right word, "Abandon you." Alice shot him a look that made James take a few steps back and hold his hands up. Alice still stood up for her brother, even though he never talked to her, and tried to stay out of the house as much as possible when she was home, she loved him to no end and missed him beyond reason. James hated to see it, and almost wished to strangle the boy for causing her such pain. "I didn't mean it." The angst was clear in James voice.

"Then why did you say it?" Alice asked in an uneven voice, her back still turned to James.

That was when James realized he had most likely just lost his best friend, the one person who truly understood him. Just by the slip of the tongue, and he hadn't even meant it! James' head dropped, and suddenly his cheeks were wet and he realized he was crying. In front of his whole common room, and he didn't even care.

In a defeated voice he answered Alice's question. "I'm sorry Alice. I honestly don't know why I said it, but I honestly didn't mean it. I can understand if you hate me, with the way I have been acting."

Alice seemed to hear the defeated tone in James voice and looked behind her to see him. She seemed surprised to see the tears on his face, and the silence continued for a few more minutes until it was broken by Alice's voice.

"You're right." Alice said, turning to face him though looking at the ground as she spoke.

"You do hate me?" The pain was clear in James voice, and shock flittered throughout the room at the statement.

"No, not about that," Alice shook her head as she spoke. "About me liking another guy, and I think Jack knows." James wondered why she brought that fact up at that point in time. "But, he doesn't like me back, we're just friends, always have been. I've liked him since the third year though." Alice looked as though she'd been holding all of it in for a long time.

James just looked back at her, confusion plain on his face. He had no idea why she was telling him that then, at such a critical point in time, so he said the only thing he could think of, "Who?"

"You," The words slipped out of Alice's mouth in a whisper that only James should have heard it, but as even the wind seemed to have gone silent at that time the words reverberated off the walls.

James just stood there, shocked at the reply he had gotten, realizing why that had come up at that time. Out of the corner of his eyes he could have sworn he saw money passing hands between Albus and Rose, and even a few other students were exchanging things. It seemed some had seen the words coming.

James tried to sort out his thoughts but suddenly memories bombarded him.

Alice crying as her brother called her a freak; Alice saying she would collect all the cards; Alice coming to his house for Christmas in the fourth year; Alice collecting all the cards; Alice kissing him on the cheek. Alice hugging him; Alice laughing; Alice dancing; Alice smiling; Alice sleeping; Alice kissing Jack; Him being _angry_at Alice for going out with Goyle; No. Him being jealous.

That's when James realized. All of his arguments with Alice, they'd been because he hadn't liked her going out with somebody. If she'd gone out with anybody, with his own brother, he'd have gotten mad at her. He just realized that it _was_ because he was jealous, not that he disliked the guy.

James liked Alice, and he had only then realized it.

James walked over until he stood wit in front of Alice. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, a frightened expression on her face. It was like with her brother, he'd done something horrible to her, yet she couldn't hate him, no matter what.

James looked down at Alice, his head leaned to the side, his expression that of both confused and understanding (how both can be in one is unknown). Then slowly, almost cautiously, as if asking permission, James leaned down. All though that she was still technically speaking (though they both knew the true reasons behind each intention's) in a relationship, she allowed him.

Unnoticed by the two, money once more exchanged hands as they kissed.

* * *

**A/N **

**Don't kill me!!!!!! it's been how many months? And I'm not even updating my story, I'm putting up a one-shot! I know - I'm horrible! **

**OK....OK....so, here's the thing. Last time I updated my last one I was about to start my exams, and then I swore to myself I was going to write more when I got into summer. But apparently I get pretty lazy in the summer - even on my writting. It was a major vk for me. Now I'm back to school and I'm getting way more packed on with the work than I was before and I just finished my third week! Plus, I have a major writers block on this story, and my mind is wondering into other areas. & I really don't want to start on another story (unless it is a one-shot) until I finish my current, 'cause I'll doubt I'll finish it.**

**So, I posted this, something I wrote a while back. Not one of my bests, I'm not sure about the end, I don't like how it was so sudden. Oh, &do you guys catch my hint about Alice and her boyfriend?**

**(By the way, if you can tell, I like making up characters, though I don't always, I can do actually characters. But I like ones that don't have much of a description on them so I can add my own touch, that's why I like the next gen.)**

**Wow, that was long, but I think it needed it.**


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